All poems

宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

八声甘州

Eight Beats of the Ganzhou Song

柳永

Liu Yong

羁旅Theme 怀乡home / memory 秋思autumn

对潇潇、暮雨洒江天，一番洗清秋。
渐霜风凄惨，关河冷落，残照当楼。
是处红衰翠减，苒苒物华休。
惟有长江水，无语东流。
不忍登高临远，望故乡渺邈，归思难收。
叹年来踪迹，何事苦淹留。
想佳人、妆楼颙望，误几回、天际识归舟。
争知我、倚阑干处，正恁凝愁。

Facing, the rustling, the evening rain, sprinkling, on, the river and the sky,
One, washing, of the clear autumn.
Gradually, the frost wind, bleak and desolate,
The passes and the rivers, cold and deserted,
The setting glow, facing, the tower.
Everywhere, the red, fading, the green, decreasing,
The slowly passing, the things and the scenes, resting.
Only, the water of the long river,
Without, the words, flowing, east.
Not, bearing, to climb, high, to gaze, far,
Looking, the hometown, distant and remote,
The thoughts of the return, hard, to restrain.
Sighing, the traces of the years,
What, affairs, bitterly, detaining, the stay.
Thinking, the lady, on, the dressing tower, gazing, with, the raised head,
Mistaken, how, many, times, at, the edge of the sky, recognizing, the returning boat.
How, would, she, know, I, leaning, on, the railing,
Just, thus, congealing, the sorrow.

Listen

Meaning

A lyric of the autumn and the return, written by Liu Yong. Facing the rustling evening rain sprinkling on the river and the sky, the washing of the clear autumn, the frost wind bleak with the passes and rivers cold and deserted, the setting glow facing the tower — the autumn of the opening. Everywhere the red fading and the green decreasing, the slowly passing things resting, only the water of the long river without the words flowing east — the scene of the autumn. Not bearing to climb high to gaze far, looking the hometown distant and remote, the thoughts of the return hard to restrain, sighing the traces of the years — the return of the poet. And the close's the lady on the dressing tower gazing, mistaken recognizing the returning boat, and I leaning on the railing just thus congealing the sorrow — the close's sorrow. The lyric is the autumn and the return: the rain, the gazing, and the close's congealing sorrow.

对着潇潇暮雨洒向江天,一番雨过,天地间仿佛被洗出一个清朗的秋天。渐渐地,霜风变得凄紧,关隘山河一片冷落,夕阳的残光照着高楼。料想闺中佳人,正在妆楼上凝神远望,多少次把天边的船帆误认作我的归舟。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Facing, the rustling, the evening rain, sprinkling, on, the river and the sky, one, washing, of the clear autumn. Gradually, the frost wind, bleak and desolate, the passes and the rivers, cold and deserted, the setting glow, facing, the tower. Everywhere, the red, fading, the green, decreasing, the slowly passing, the things and the scenes, resting. Only, the water of the long river, without, the words, flowing, east. Not, bearing, to climb, high, to gaze, far, looking, the hometown, distant and remote, the thoughts of the return, hard, to restrain. Sighing, the traces of the years, what, affairs, bitterly, detaining, the stay. Thinking, the lady, on, the dressing tower, gazing, with, the raised head, mistaken, how, many, times, at, the edge of the sky, recognizing, the returning boat. How, would, she, know, I, leaning, on, the railing, just, thus, congealing, the sorrow. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves from the autumn of the rain and the frost wind, through the return of the poet and the traces of the years, to the close's the lady gazing and the congealing sorrow. [Key Technique] The lyric's art is the close of the gazing: the lady mistaken recognizing the returning boat, and the close's I leaning on the railing congealing the sorrow — the return gathered in the gazing and the close's sorrow. [Emotional Tone] Bleak, longing, and congealing: the lyric is the autumn, the return and the close's sorrow.

【白话串讲】柳永写八声甘州：“对潇潇、暮雨洒江天，一番洗清秋”。“渐霜风凄惨，关河冷落，残照当楼”——“是处红衰翠减，苒苒物华休”——“惟有长江水，无语东流”——“不忍登高临远，望故乡渺邈，归思难收”——他写游子的思乡。【意象与手法】上片铺叙登高所见：「洗」字点出清秋，「渐」字领起霜风、关河、残照三层推进，由远及近，境界苍凉高远，苏轼许其「不减唐人高处」；「唯有长江水，无语东流」以无情衬有情。下片「想佳人妆楼颙望，误几回、天际识归舟」从对面写来，不写己之思人而写人之望己；末以「争知我」再折回自身，回环往复，铺叙之法达于巅峰。【情感与主旨】柳永一生沉沦下僚，游宦天涯，此词写暮雨清秋中登高望远、归思难收的羁旅之愁。上片写景句句含情，「无语东流」的江水以无情衬有情；下片悬想佳人妆楼误认归舟，愈见乡思之深。词人既叹「何事苦淹留」的漂泊，又怜闺中凝望的孤寂，是羁旅行役词中情、景、法三者兼备的千古绝调。【名句点睛】「渐霜风凄惨，关河冷落，残照当楼」以「渐」字领起，由体肤之感而四望之景而眼前残照，层层逼紧，二十二字写尽深秋衰飒，苍凉高远、气象浑成，连苏轼亦叹为「不减唐人高处」。

Background

Liu Yong (c. 984-1053), the master of the ci of the Northern Song, wrote this 'Eight Beats of the Ganzhou Song' of the autumn and the return — the longing of the travel. The rustling evening rain with the clear autumn, the return of the poet with the traces of the years, and the close's the lady gazing with the congealing sorrow — the lyric gathers the longing of the poet, the bleakness of the autumn. The lyric is one of the most famous works of the master's lyrics of the return.

柳永字耆卿,原名三变,崇安人,北宋词人,精通音律,长于慢词长调,有《乐章集》传世。《八声甘州》原为唐代大曲《甘州》的一遍,因全曲八段、声调繁促,故名「八声」,北宋时演为词调,柳永以长调慢词著称,此调在其笔下始见流行,后遂为词家常用之调。此词写游宦羁旅之感:暮雨洗清秋,霜风凄紧,登高望远,故乡渺邈,归思难收;遥想闺中佳人正妆楼颙望,误认归舟,而「我」独倚栏杆,凝愁无已。柳永一生科举失意,流连坊曲,长期沉沦于下僚,羁旅行役之苦正是其词最擅长的题材,《雨霖铃》《八声甘州》诸作皆其代言。据宋人笔记所载,柳永「喜作小词」,其词天下咏之,遂传于禁中,流传极广。此词作年难以确考,然词中「霜风凄惨」「关河冷落」的景象,当是柳永晚年游宦北方时的作品,与《雨霖铃》的临别凄清恰成前后呼应,共同奠定了柳永作为「羁旅行役之词」宗主的地位。又,此调在北宋初年尚属新声,柳永以精通音律之身率先以长调慢词填写羁旅之情,遂使此调成为后世词家写秋怀乡的常用之调,苏轼、吴文英等皆有佳作,可见其开创之功。柳永一生「奉旨填词」,流连歌楼酒肆,然其心中未尝忘情于功名与乡关,此词正是这种矛盾心境的深沉流露。词中「叹年来踪迹,何事苦淹留」表面是自问,实则是千千万万游宦士人共同的困惑,故此词虽为一己之私怀而能引起普遍的共鸣,成为文学史上写羁旅之愁的典范之作。

Art

The lyric's art is the art of the return. The autumn opens: facing, the rustling, the evening rain, sprinkling, on, the river and the sky — the evening rain of the river and the sky; one, washing, of the clear autumn — the washing of the clear autumn; gradually, the frost wind, bleak and desolate — the frost wind of the bleak; the passes and the rivers, cold and deserted — the cold and deserted passes; the setting glow, facing, the tower — the setting glow of the tower; everywhere, the red, fading, the green, decreasing — the fading of the red; the slowly passing, the things and the scenes, resting — the resting of the things; only, the water of the long river, without, the words, flowing, east — the flowing of the long river. The return follows: not, bearing, to climb, high, to gaze, far — the not bearing of the climb; looking, the hometown, distant and remote — the distant hometown; the thoughts of the return, hard, to restrain — the hard thoughts of the return; sighing, the traces of the years, what, affairs, bitterly, detaining, the stay — the traces of the years. And the close gathers the sorrow: thinking, the lady, on, the dressing tower, gazing, with, the raised head — the gazing of the lady; mistaken, how, many, times, at, the edge of the sky, recognizing, the returning boat — the mistaken recognizing of the returning boat; how, would, she, know, I, leaning, on, the railing — the leaning of the railing; just, thus, congealing, the sorrow — the congealing of the sorrow — the autumn, the return and the close's sorrow, gathered in the lyric.

此词艺术上以「铺叙展衍」与「从对面写来」两大手法著称。上片纯写登高所见之景,而景中寓情:起拍「对潇潇、暮雨洒江天,一番洗清秋」,以一「对」字领起,写暮雨洒江、洗净清秋,境界阔大;「洗」字极见锻炼,秋之为秋,皆由雨洗而出。次拍「渐霜风凄惨,关河冷落,残照当楼」,连用三个四字句,以「渐」字领起,层层推进,由风而关河而残照,由远及近,直逼楼头,境界苍凉,苏轼激赏此三句「不减唐人高处」。「是处红衰翠减,苒苒物华休」,以花木凋零写万物休歇,一个「休」字直抵盛衰之变;「惟有长江水,无语东流」,以水的无情反衬人的有情,「无语」二字拟人,把造物的冷漠写尽。下片转入思乡怀人:「不忍登高临远,望故乡渺邈,归思难收」,直写归思;「叹年来踪迹,何事苦淹留」,自问自叹;「想佳人、妆楼颙望,误几回、天际识归舟」,忽然宕开,从对面写来,写佳人望我而不见,正见我思之深;「争知我、倚阑干处,正恁凝愁」,再一折,回到自身。全词由景入情,由己及人,再由人及己,回环往复,深婉无伦,是柳永慢词铺叙艺术的巅峰之作。尤可注意的是,此词上片以景为主而情寓其中,下片以情为主而景蕴其内,上下阕之间以「不忍登高临远」一句为枢纽,由写景自然过渡到抒怀,转折处不着痕迹,章法如行云流水。而「想佳人妆楼颙望」数句更运用了「现在—悬想—现在」的时间回环结构,使全词在空间与时间两个维度上都获得极大的张力,这正是柳永慢词结构艺术超越前人的关键所在。又,此词在句式上亦极讲究:上片「对」「渐」两领字领起长句,舒卷自如;下片「叹」「想」「争知我」数领字,或自问,或悬想,或感叹,领起之意各有侧重,而声情亦随之起伏,长调慢词之气势、之回环,至此而尽其妙,是柳永「变旧声作新声」的典范之作。

Allusions

'The clear autumn' (qing qiu) is the clear autumn — the autumn of the washing, the rain of the evening; 'the long river' (chang jiang) is the long river — the river of the Yangtze, the flowing east; 'the returning boat' (gui zhou) is the returning boat — the boat of the return, the recognizing of the lady; 'the congealing sorrow' (ning chou) is the congealing sorrow — the sorrow of the congealing, the close of the poet.

「颙望」一词出《诗经·小雅·卷阿》「颙颙卬卬,如圭如璋」,原形容人仪表庄敬,后世以「颙望」为抬头凝望之意,柳永以「妆楼颙望」写佳人倚楼远眺,用典而不觉。更值得注意的是,此词「想佳人妆楼颙望」数句用的是典型的「从对面写来」之法,其源可溯至《诗经·周南·卷耳》「采采卷耳,不盈顷筐,嗟我怀人,寘彼周行」,以及杜甫《月夜》「今夜鄜州月,闺中只独看」的名句:不写自己思人,而写人思己,一倍写法,情更深婉。「误几回、天际识归舟」则化用温庭筠《望江南》「过尽千帆皆不是,斜晖脉脉水悠悠」之意而更加细密:温词写一遍遍失望,柳词写一次次误认,把「识归舟」的盼与「误」的痴写得更具体。「归思难收」之「收」字令人想起李煜「剪不断,理还乱,是离愁」,离愁之难收束,正是五代以来词中写愁的传统意象。全词用典与化用皆融化于白描之中,见出柳永「以俗为雅」、善于把前人意象为我所用的大家手段。又,「无语东流」之「无语」以拟人写江水,其源可溯至《诗经》及六朝乐府以水流写别情的传统,而柳永此句更着意在「无情」二字:物之无情正衬人之有情,故江水无语东流,而词人之归思如潮,两相对照尤为沉痛。又,「误几回」之「误」亦可远追温庭筠「肠断白洲」之企盼,而柳永以「几回」言其反复,较温词更为细密。要之,此词用典化句皆能翻出新意,把前人的意象与自己的身世熔铸为一,正是柳永「以俗为雅」的词学实践的高峰。

Commentary

This lyric is one of the most famous works of Liu Yong's lyrics of the return, quoted for the bleakness of its autumn and the sorrow of its close. The rustling evening rain, and the congealing sorrow by the railing, are among the admired passages of the master's lyrics. Critics praise the lyric's bleakness: the autumn gathered in the gazing, to the close's sorrow.

此词自问世以来评价极高。宋赵令畤《侯鲭录》卷七引苏轼语:「世言柳耆卿曲俗,非也。如《八声甘州》'霜风凄惨,关河冷落,残照当楼',此语于诗句不减唐人高处。」苏东坡这一评语是历代论柳词的纲领性意见:连最不以柳词为然的苏轼也不得不佩服其境界之高,可见此词艺术成就之惊人。此后历代选本几乎无不收录此词,朱祖谋《宋词三百首》即选入,列为柳永代表作之一。清人周济《宋四家词选》评柳永铺叙委婉、言近意远,此词正其典范。王国维《人间词话》论词之境界,谓一切景语皆情语,此词上片写景句句含情,正是景语情语交融的极致。近代唐圭璋《唐宋词简释》评此词,谓其写景苍凉、抒情深婉,融情入景,情景俱化,推为柳词第一。综观历代评论,自苏轼以降无不盛赞此词,其在词史上的经典地位已然牢不可破。此外,清人先著、程洪《词洁》评此词,谓其情景交融、首尾一气,亦为历来传诵之评。而王国维《人间词话》虽于柳永多有微词,然其论「词以境界为最上」,以柳词上片「霜风凄惨」诸句观之,正是有境界之作。又,此词之「误几回」与温庭筠「过尽千帆」之别,亦为今人论唐宋词递变时常引之例。要之,自苏轼以降历代评家或赞其境,或赏其情,或推其法,其在中国词史上的崇高地位早已成为学界定论,而此词的每一个字句都经得起反复涵泳。又,就词学批评史言之,苏轼「不减唐人高处」之评,实为柳词赢得了与唐诗同格的地位,此后宋人论柳词,或讥其「俗」,或称其「工」,而《八声甘州》始终是双方争论时必须面对的文本,其在中国词学批评中的枢纽地位由此可见。近人论词,或以「羁旅行役,尤尽形容之妙」概括柳永,此词正为此说提供了最完美的注脚。要之,此词写景则苍凉高远,抒情则深婉绵长,章法则回环往复,三者兼备,遂成千古绝调,是研究柳永乃至北宋慢词艺术无法绕过的经典。

Prosody

Form A long ci lyric of the return (ci diao)词(慢词长调)

Rhyme The lyric rhymes on the level and the oblique of the group — the cadence of the long ci that carries the bleak longing.词林正韵第十二部尤侯幽,韵脚为「秋、楼、休、流、收、留、舟、愁」

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the return: the level opening with the autumn, the turning with the hometown, and the close's fall with the congealing sorrow.双调各四平韵,多用领字,去声领字振起音节

Reading note The lyric's sound matches its bleakness: the cadences of the long ci, and the close — 'zheng nen ning chou' — falls with the sorrow, the sound of the congealing of the longing poet.《八声甘州》双调九十七字,上片四平韵,下片四平韵,共八韵,故称「八声」,一韵到底,押词林正韵第十二部尤侯幽韵,韵脚为「秋、楼、休、流、收、留、舟、愁」。尤侯韵音色悠长绵邈,正与词中「登高望远、归思难收」的绵长情思相谐,且八个韵脚中「愁」字殿后,一韵收束,更见匠心。此调句法参差,多用领字,上片「对」「渐」,下片「望」「叹」「想」「争知我」等,一字领、二字领、三字领错落使用,领字多用去声,音节激越,如「对潇潇」「渐霜风」「叹年来」「想佳人」皆于顿挫中见起伏,是慢词句法之典型。平仄方面,「是处红衰翠减,苒苒物华休」等句仄声字密集,音节沉郁;「惟有长江水,无语东流」则于「流」字平声收束,一纵一收,声情配合极为讲究。全词声调于凄紧中见流动,与内容高度统一,是柳永倚声家数最成熟的体现,也为后世词人提供了长调慢词的经典范式。

Line by line

对潇潇、暮雨洒江天，一番洗清秋。

Facing the pattering evening rain scattering over river and sky, a fresh washing of the clear autumn.

对着潇潇暮雨洒向江天,一番雨过,天地间仿佛被洗出一个清朗的秋天。

Facing the pattering evening rain that scatters over river and sky, the world seems washed into a clear autumn.

起拍以一「对」字领起,如登高望远的镜头缓缓推开。潇潇暮雨,洒满江天,一个「洒」字写雨势之漫天,「洗」字更见锻炼:秋之「清」正是被这场暮雨洗出来的,雨与秋之间仿佛有一种主动的洁净关系。此拍先声夺人,境界阔大而情意已萌,为全篇的羁旅之思设下苍茫的背景,是慢词起调极见功力的一笔,也是柳永铺叙长调惯用的总起手法。

The opening is led by a single word facing, like a camera of height and distance slowly drawing back. The pattering evening rain scatters over river and sky; the word scatter writes the rain filling the heavens, and wash is the crafted stroke: autumn's clearness is precisely washed out by this evening rain, as if rain and autumn shared an active kinship of cleansing. The opening seizes the reader at once, its mood vast yet already stirred, setting the vast background for the whole piece's longing of the wanderer - a highly crafted opening of the slow ci, and Liu Yong's usual total-introduction method for his long melodies.

渐霜风凄惨，关河冷落，残照当楼。

Gradually the frosty wind turns bleak; pass and river lie desolate; the last light falls on the tower.

渐渐地,霜风变得凄紧,关隘山河一片冷落,夕阳的残光照着高楼。

By degrees the frosty wind grows harsh; the pass and river lie cold and bare; the failing sunlight strikes the tower.

此三句为苏轼盛赞的「不减唐人高处」的名句。以「渐」字领起,写景物层层逼近的推移:霜风凄惨,是体肤之感;关河冷落,是四望之景;残照当楼,则终于逼到眼前。由远及近,由风及照,境界苍凉而气象高远。二十二字写尽深秋黄昏的衰飒,而登楼人的孤寂身影已在字里行间隐约可见,是融情入景的绝唱,也是全词境界最高处。要之,此三句以极俭之笔写极阔之境,一句一层,层层逼紧,是柳永词中「不减唐人高处」的确证,也是中国词史上写景的典范段落。

These three lines are the famous verse Su Shi praised as not inferior to the best of the Tang poets. Led by the word gradually, they write the scenery pressing nearer layer by layer: frosty wind bleak is the feeling on the skin; pass and river desolate is the view in all directions; failing sunlight on the tower finally presses right before the eyes. From far to near, from wind to light, the mood is vast and lofty. Twenty-two words exhaust the desolation of a deep autumn dusk, and the lonely figure of the man on the tower is already glimpsed between the lines - an immortal fusion of feeling into scenery, and the highest realm of the ci. In sum, these three lines write the widest realm in the sparest brush, one layer per line, each pressing closer - the proof of Liu's not inferior to the Tang, and a model landscape passage in the whole history of the ci.

想佳人、妆楼颙望，误几回、天际识归舟。

Thinking, the lady, on, the dressing tower, gazing, with, the raised head, mistaken, how, many, times, at, the edge of the sky, recognizing, the returning boat.

料想闺中佳人,正在妆楼上凝神远望,多少次把天边的船帆误认作我的归舟。

I fancy the fair one on her painted tower, gazing out, and how many times she has mistaken a sail on the far horizon for my returning boat.

此数句用「从对面写来」之法,是全词情感的高潮。不写自己思家,而写家人盼己:佳人妆楼颙望,一次次误认归舟,其望之切、盼之苦层层写出。「误几回」三字把盼望的次数与失望的次数一并道出,痴情宛然。此笔之法远承杜甫《月夜》,而更添民间气息与日常细节,是柳永善于设身处地、代人写心的证明,也是全词最打动人的段落。且「误几回」与「天际识归舟」相缀,以动作之反复写思念之深挚,较之一次性的眺望更见痴情,词笔之细、用心之苦于此毕见。

These lines use the method of writing from the opposite side, the emotional climax of the ci. Instead of writing his own longing for home, he writes the household waiting for him: the fair one on her painted tower, gazing out, again and again mistaking the returning boat, her eagerness and her bitter hope drawn layer by layer. Mistaking how many times says at once the number of hopes and the number of disappointments, the foolish devotion plain. This method follows Du Fu's moonlight night yet adds the breath of common life and everyday detail, proving Liu's gift for putting himself in another's place and writing another's heart - the most moving passage of the ci. And mistaking how many times joins recognize the returning boat on the far horizon, writing the depth of longing through repeated action, more devoted than a single gaze; the fineness of the brush and the pain of the heart are fully seen here.

Study

Word focus

洗 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「一番洗清秋」之「洗」是全词第一处见功力的字眼。暮雨洒江,天地一新,着一「洗」字,便觉清秋不是时令自至,而是被雨洗净而出,雨与秋之间有了主动关系,境界顿时活泼而澄澈。「洗」字下语轻灵,与首句「对」字的登临姿态相配合,定下全词清旷的基调;而下文「霜风凄惨」的苍凉正由这「洗」后的清旷陡然转出,一起一落,笔力千钧。要之,「洗」字不奇而境奇,正是柳永炼字以意为先的明证,也为其后的苍凉之景预留了清旷的底色,可见其下笔的全局眼光。

渐 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「渐霜风凄惨」之「渐」是全词写景推进的关键虚字,一字领起三句,层层逼近。霜风、关河、残照本是一幅静止的画面,着一「渐」字,便有了时间的推移与空间的收束:寒意渐紧,景色渐冷,光影渐敛,最终「残照当楼」直逼到登楼人的眼前。一字写尽景物由远及近、由疏到密的动态,为「登高临远」蓄足了势,领字之妙此词最见功夫,是柳永善用领字铺叙的典范。

误 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「误几回、天际识归舟」之「误」是下片最见痴情的字眼。归舟误认,一误再误,着一个「误」字便把佳人望眼欲穿、心神恍惚的情态写得如在目前:是盼得太多太切,才至于辨认屡误。「误几回」以次数言,更见其痴其苦,而「我」之思家之深也正从这「误」字反衬而出。此字平平,而一经点染,全词的人情味便浓郁起来,是柳永以俗语传真情、于无意处见用心的典型。